Wedge-type stack leveling platform for sheet material



March 8, 1966 H. D. REEVES 3,239,218

WEDGE-TYPE STACK LEVELING PLATFQRM FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Nov. 13, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 mmnn Hudson 0. Reeves INVENTOR.

24 m W MW H. D. REEVES March 8, 1966 WEDGE-TYPE STACK LEVELING PLATFORM FOR SHEET MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13 1963 n w E m u 1N VEN TOR Hudson 0. Reeves W MW United States Patent 3,239,218 WEDGE-TYPE STACK LEVELING PLATFORM FOR SHEET MATERIAL Hudson I). Reeves, Oxnard, Calif. (127 Vernon Way, Santa Paula, Calif.) Filed Nov. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 323,283 17 Claims. (Cl. 27161) This invention comprises a novel and useful stack leveling platform for sheet material and relates to similar subject matter but constitutes a modification of the corner leveling platform disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 323,403, filed November 13, 1963, for Leveling Platform for Sheet Material.

For the reasons set forth in my copending application, it is frequently desirable to individually level the corners of a stack of sheet material for various purposes. In said copending application there is disclosed a pivoted lifting element with a scissors or toggle linkage for adjustably pivoting the lifting element between a retracted position and an extended adjusted lifting position. The present invention relates to modified constructions involving the use of Wedges to effect the adjustment of the lifting element of the invention.

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide an improved corner leveling platform for sheet material in which one or more lifting units are employed, each have a horizontally elongated hollow construction having horizontally disposed top supporting surfaces for a stack of sheets to be leveled thereby together with lifting elements movable through openings in the top wall of the device between a retracted flush position with the top surface of the device and an elevated or adjustably extended position to effect the leveling operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character above described and actuating mechanism for effecting a positive and precisely adjustable lifting operation by the use of lifting wedges movable through an actuating screw.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the preceding object wherein the spacing between a pair of lifting elements mounted upon a single lifting unit may be readily adjustable in order that the device may accommodate itself to stacks of sheets of different sizes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the preceding objects which shall be of compact construction, light in weight and wherein all its operating parts shall be completely housed within a hollow horizontally elongated body.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing by way of example the manner in which the lifting and corner adjusting device of this invention is associated with a printing press for leveling a stack of sheets of paper for use in the printing press;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a lifting device in accordance with this invention, parts being broken away and parts being removed;

FIGURE 3 is a view in vertical longitudinal section taken substantially upon a plane indicated by section line 33 of FIGURE 2 with parts being broken away;

FIGURES 4-6 are vertical transverse sectional views showing details of the device of FIGURES 2 and 3 being taken respectively upon the planes indicated by section lines 4-4, 55 and 66 respectively of FIGURE 3;

3,2392% Patented Mar. 8, I966 'FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a corner leveling device in accordance with this invention, certain concealed parts being shown in dotted lines therein;

FIGURE 8 is an end elevational view taken upon an enlarged scale of the device of FIGURE 7 from the left end thereof and with the front leveling element being shown in adjustably elevated position;

FIGURE 9 is a view in vertical longitudinal section taken substantially upon the plane indicated by section line 9-9 of FIGURE 8, parts being broken away;

FIGURE 10 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by section line Iii-10 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by section line 11-11 of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a further detail view taken in vertical transverse section substantially upon a plane indicated by section line 12-12 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 13 is a perspective view of a lift roller forming a part of the actuating mechanism of the lifting elements of the embodiment of FIGURES 7-12; and

FIGURE 14 is a view in vertical transverse section taken substantially upon a plane indicated by section line 14-14 of FIGURE 10 but showing a modified con struction of the lift roller and actuating rods of the actuating means for the lift elements of the device.

Reference is made first to FIGURE 1 which shows by way of illustration of one satisfactory manner of applying the principles of the invention an environment in which the invention may be satisfactorily employed. There is shown a portion of any conventional form of printing press having a supporting platform 12 disposed adjacent thereto and by means of which there is supported a stack 14 of sheets of material such as paper which is supplied to or operated upon by the press 10. A pair of the leveling units each indicated by the numeral 24) is shown mounted upon the platform 12 by means of which the stack 14 is supported, there being also included a plurality of filler blocks as at 22 disposed between the elements 20 to assist in providing a firm support for the underside of the stack 14. The invention claimed herein resides specifically in the construction of the leveling unit 20 and for an understanding thereof attention is now directed specifically to FIG URES 2-6.

In this embodiment of the invention the leveling unit 20 comprises a hollow horizontally elongated body including a pair of vertically extending horizontally elongated side walls each indicated by the numeral 24 and which at their upper end form a horizontal support surface consisting of a top wall 26. A horizontally elongated support member 28 consisting of a bottom wall extends between and is secured to the side walls 24 while a front or end wall 30 detachably closes the front end of the body and a cor-responding back end wall, not shown, but similar to the back end wall 32 of the embodiment of FIGURES 7-14 is likewise provided.

The top wall 26 is preferably provided with longitudinally spaced openings or cut-out portions as at 34 and 36 respectively and a pair of lift elements indicated gen erally at 38 and 40 are mounted upon the body and are positioned within the openings for vertical hinging, swinging or tilting movement about a horizontal axis.

Considering first the rear lifting element 46 it will be observed that this is preferably of L-shaped configuration including a fiat plate 42 which is adapted to be recessed into the opening and disposed flush with the top surface 26 and a downwardly extending body portion 44 having an inclined cam or wedge surface 46 thereon. A

pivot pin 48 hingedly connects the rear lift element to the side walls of the body for this tilting movement.

The forward lift element 38 is similarly constructed consisting of a fiat plate-like upper portion 50 having a depending portion 52 which latter is provided with an inclined cam or wedging surface as at 54. A removable pivot pin 56 extends through a fulcrum bore 58 in the portion 50 of the forward lift elements and is selectively received in one of a series of longitudinally spaced apertures 60 formed in the side wall element 24 of the body whereby the forward lift element may be adjusted longitudinally of the body with respect to the lift element 40. Thus spacing between the life elements may be varied to cause the device to adapt itself to different sizes of stacks of sheets with each lift element being engageable with the stack at one corner thereof for leveling the stack.

Actuating means are provided cooperating with the forward and rear lift elements for controllably tilting or raising the latter and shifting them between their retracted and extended positions.

In this embodiment, this actuating means includes a pair of actuators 62 and 64 each in the form of a wedge block having an inclined wedge or cam surface 66 and 68 complementary to and respectively cooperating with the surfaces 54 and 46 of the lift elements. The actuators 62 and 64 are each slidably received upon the support means or bottom wall 28 for horizontal sliding movement thereon being guided between the side walls. An operating means is connected to the actuators for effecting operation thereof. In this form of the invention the operating means consists of a single rod 70 whose forward end extends through the end plate 30 and is journalled therein, being retained against axial movement as by a pair of collars 72 secured to the rod on opposite sides of the end wall 30. By means of a diametrically disposed pin 74 any suitable form of handle means, not shown, may be detachably connected to the rod 70 to effect rotation of the latter. The rod is screw-threaded along its length or if desired is provided with longitudinally spaced screw threaded portions which extend through corresponding screw-threaded nuts or other elements 76 provided in the bores 78 and 80 of the actuators 62 and 64. The arrangement is such that upon rotation of the operating member '70, the actuators 62 and 64 may be simultaneously slidably actuated to in turn effect tilting of their associated lift elements.

It will be evident that by removing the pin 56, the forward lift element may be adjusted longitudinally with respect to the body and thus its distance from the rear lift element 40 may be controllably varied. A corresponding shifting of the actuator 62 upon the operating member 70 will enable the two lift elements to be simultaneously operated in a synchronized manner.

Referring next to FIGURES 7-13 it will be observed that a modified construction carrying out the same general purposes as that of the embodiments of FIGURES 1-6 is provided. In this form, the levelling unit is provided with the same side walls 24 forming the top wall or top support surface 26 together with the horizontal support member or bottom wall 28 and front and rear end walls 30 and 32 as previously mentioned. There are likewise provided longitudinally spaced openings as at 34 and 36 in the top wall within which are mounted the forward and rear lift elements indicated generally by the numerals 102 and 104 respectively. Each of these lift elements is U-shaped in cross-section consisting of a platelike top wall 106 together with a pair of depending side walls 108 which latter have inclined cam or wedging surfaces 110. The lift elements are pivotally hinged between the two side walls as by means of pivot pins 112 whereby the lift elements may be vertically tilted or pivoted by horizontal axes for movement between the retracted and their extended positions as previously described.

One of the lift elements as for example the forward element 162 is longitudinally adjustably mounted in the body as by means of a series of longitudinally spaced apertures 114 so that this element may be adjusted toward and from the other element to vary the spacing therebetween for the purpose previously described.

In this form of the invention there is provided a pair of actuating means each independently operating one of the lift elements. The actuating means includes actuators together with operating members for controlling the latter.

Referring specifically to FIGURES ll, 12 and 13, it will be seen that each of the actuators comprises a roller consisting of a cylindrical axle 120 having oppositely extending aligned pintles 122 upon which are journalled a pair or disks, each indicated at 124. The disks roll along the horizontal support means or bottom wall 28 at their lower sides and at their upper sides cooperate with and having a camming or wedging action with the inclined cam or wedge surfaces of the two lift elements. This relationship will be clearly apparent from FIGURE 11.

The operating means for each of the actuators comprises a longitudinally extending rod, there being provided a relatively short rod 126 for the actuator of the front lift element 102 and a relatively long rod 128 for the actuator of the other lift element 104. Each of the rods at its forward end extends through the front wall 30, it being rotatably journalled therein and held against axial movement as by means of a pair of cooperating collars 131) secured to the rods. The rods are operated in the same manner as set forth in connection with the rods of the preceding embodiment. Each of the rods has a threaded portion which extends through an internally threaded bore 132 of the corresponding axle 120. Inasmuch as the disks 124 are freely journalled on the pintles 122, it is evident that by rotating the corresponding operating members 126 and 28, the attached actuator can likewise be adjusted longitudinally of the body and thus will effect a raising or lowering of its associated lift element.

Referring to FIGURES 1'1 and 13 it will be noted that the axle of the actuator of the forward lift element is provided with a recess or cutaway portion as at 134 to perrnit passage of the other operating member or rod 128 therethrougih. Thus the rods are permitted to lie in substantially side-by-side relation.

In some instances, as shown in FIGURE 14, it is preferable to provide the forward actuator axle with a diametrically enlarged bore 140 therethrough to thus permit passage of the other rod 128 therethrough. By this arrangement, the longer rod 128 which controls the operation of the actuator for the rear lift element is permitted to remain in a parallel relationship to the other operating rod 126 and by virtue of its sliding bearing engagement in the axle of the first lift element it is guided, vibration thereof is reduced and a compact arrangement is provided.

In each form of the invention it will be observed that the pair of lift elements can be adjusted toward or from each other to cause the device to be accommodated to different sizes of stacks of sheets for engaging the corner portions thereof. In addition, each form of the invention the actuator of the lift element transmits thrust from the tensile pull upon the operating rod from the bottom of the body or the support member to the cam or wedge surfaces along the lift elements thereby relieving the operating rod from such thrust.

Although the leveling device has been described as especially adapted to the adjustable lifting of the corners of a stack of sheet material, it is equally applicable to adjustably elevating other portions of the stack, particularly in the case of a stack having sheets of relatively large area wherein adjustable leveling of portions between corners is beneficial.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A stack leveling unit for a stack of sheet material comprising a horizontally elongated body for use as a support, said body including a pair of vertically extending horizontally elongated side Walls disposed in laterally spaced relation and providing a horizontal top support surface, horizontally extending support means disposed between said side walls, a lift element movably mounted upon said body for movement between a retracted position flush with and an extended position projecting above said support surface, actuating means connected to said lift element and operable to move the latter between said retracted and extended positions, said actuating means including an actuator slidably resting upon said support means between said side walls and movable longitudinally of said body, said actuator and said lift element having cooperating wedge surfaces, an operating member connected to said actuator and effecting sliding movement of the latter upon said support means.

2. The combination of claim 1 including a pivot pin hingedly connecting said lift element to said side walls for tilting of said lift element thereabout.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said side walls have a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures, said pivot pin being selectively received in said apertures whereby to longitudinally adjust the position of said lift element upon said body.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said operating member comprises a screw threaded rod, said actuator having a screw threaded bore engaged upon said rod.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the wedge surfaces of said actuator and said lift element are complementary and planar.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein the wedge surfaces of said actuator and lift element are planar and cylindrical respectively.

7. A stack leveling unit for a stack of sheet material comprising a horizontally elongated body for use as a support, said body including a pair of vertically extending horizontally elongated side walls disposed in laterally spaced relation and providing a horizontal top support surface, horizontally extending support means disposed between said side walls, a pair of longitudinally spaced lift elements each movably mounted upon said body for movement between a retracted position flush with and an extended position projecting above said support surface, a pair of actuating means each connected to one of said lift elements and effective to move the latter between said retracted and extended positions, each actuating means including an actuator engaging one of said lift elements and an operating member connected to said actuator, each actuator being supported upon said support means for sliding horizontal movement between said side walls, each actuator and its associated lift element having cooperating cam surfaces converting sliding movement of an actuator into vertical movement of the associated lift element.

8. The combination of claim 7 including a pivot pin hingedly connecting each lift element to said body for tilting of the lift element about a horizontal axis.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said side walls have a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures, said pivot pin being selectively received in said apertures whereby to longitudinally adjust the position of said lift element upon said body.

10. The combination of claim 7 wherein said operating member comprises a screw threaded rod, said actuator having a screw threaded bore engaged upon said rod.

1 1. The combination of claim 10 wherein each actuator comprises a wedge.

12. The combination of claim 10 wherein each actuator comprises a roller.

13. The combination of claim 12 wherein said roller comprises a pair of disks journalled on the opposite ends of an axle, said operating member being connected to said axle.

14. The combination of claim 13 including a recess in one axle providing clearance for the operating member associated with the other axle.

15. The combination of claim 13 including a bore through one axle guiding-1y receiving the operating member associated with the other axle.

16. The combination of claim 7 wherein said operating member comprises a rod rotatably mounted in said body and having screw threaded engagement with both of said actuators for simultaneous operation thereof.

17. The combination of claim 16 including a pivot pin hingedly connecting each lift element to said body for tilting of the lift element about a horizontal axis, said side walls have a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures, said pivot pin being selectively received in said aperture whereby to longitudinally adjust the position of said lift element upon said body.

M. HENSON WOOD, 111., Primary Examiner. 

1. A STACK LEVELING UNIT FOR A STACK OF SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED BODY FOR USE AS A SUPPORT, SAID BODY INCLUDING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED SIDE WALLS DISPOSED IN LATERALLY SPACED RELATION AND PROVIDING A HORIZONTAL TOP SUPPORT SURFACE, HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SUPPORT MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS, A LIFT ELEMENT MOVABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION FLUSH WITH AND AN EXTENDED POSITION PROJECTING ABOVE SAID SUPPORT SURFACE, ACTUATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LIFT ELEMENT AND OPERABLE TO MOVE THE LATTER BETWEEN SAID RETRACTED AND EXTENDED POSITIONS, SAID ACTUATING MEANS INCLUDING AN ACTUATOR SLIDABLY RESTING UPON SAID SUPPORT MEANS BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BODY, SAID ACTUATOR AND SAID LIFT ELEMENT HAVING COOPERATING WEDGE SURFACES, AN OPERATING MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID ACTUATOR AND EFFECTING SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE LATTER UPON SAID SUPPORT MEANS. 